Protective Cover for Moving Items

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a resilient and tough, but flexible protective cover that hugs and squeezes various types of moving items without the need for any external securing means such as tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, plastic, etc. The protective cover prevents damage to items that might occur during the course of moving. It eliminates, among other types of damage, scuffs, scrapes, dents, and scratches that could happen when items are being moved. While the protective cover is “hugging” the items, it also keeps items with moving components such as desks, dressers, cabinets, and appliances, in place by preventing shifting or movement of the moving components.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention

The present invention is directed to moving supplies and more particularly to a protective cover for preventing damage to items during a move.

2. Description of Related Art

A moving company helps people and businesses move items from one place to another. Items may include, but are not limited to furniture, appliances, electronics, kitchenware, office supplies, and home goods. A moving company may pack, load, move, unload, unpack, and arrange items at a new location. Do-it-yourself movers choose to move items without the services of a moving company. Regardless of the type of mover, moving items, particularly antique, fragile, odd-shaped, and/or expensive items, need to be protected from damage that might occur during the course of moving.

Furniture blankets/pads protect furniture from scratches and scuff marks when moving. A mover places one or more loose pads (typically each 72″×80″) over a piece of furniture and then tightens/secures those pad(s) to the furniture by wrapping tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, and/or plastic (plastic wrap or bubble wrap) around the pad(s). Although the furniture is generally protected from damage, the use of furniture pads requires labor and time to tighten/secure the pads to each individual piece of furniture and the purchase of additional moving supplies such as tape, rope, straps, etc., which increases the time and expense of the move. Customized covers that fit the exact shape of a sofa, washer, dryer, or stove, are also available for damage protection. However, these customized covers are expensive and useful for only one item and cannot be used among differently shaped items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these and other deficiencies of the prior art by providing a resilient and tough, but flexible protective cover that hugs and squeezes various types of moving items without usage of any external securing means such as tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, plastic, etc. The protective cover of the present invention (sometimes referred to as the “Hugger”) prevents damage that might occur during the course of moving. It eliminates, among other types of damage, scuffs, scrapes, dents, and scratches that could happen when items are being moved. While the protective cover is “hugging” the items, it also keeps items with moving components (e.g., drawers or doors) such as desks, dressers, cabinets, armoires, and appliances, in place by preventing shifting or movement of the moving components.

A device for protecting a moving item during a move, the device comprising: a protective cover comprising stretch fabric, the protective cover having a top surface and one or more side surfaces, and an opening formed by the one or more side surfaces at a bottom of the protective cover; and a plurality of pads disposed on or within the protective cover. The size of the opening is less than a size of a top surface of the moving item. The moving item can be a dresser or a flat screen television. The plurality of pads are hexagonally shaped and uniformly spaced apart. The plurality of pads can comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: rubber, urethane, polypropylene, vinyl, air bladder, latex, neoprene, sponge, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, volara, cellulose, and a combination thereof. The stretch fabric can comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: spandex, vinyl, velvet, denim, cotton, polyester, and a combination thereof.

This Hugger has significant advantages over the prior art. For example, the Hugger reduces packing time. The Hugger is easily slipped over a moving item and requires no external securing means such as tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, plastic, etc. to secure it to the item. There is no need to remove anything, e.g., drawers, from the moving item. The Hugger is also reusable, fits differently shaped items, and is easy to clean.

The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary dresser found in the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a protective cover for a dresser according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a dresser found in the prior art to be protected by the protective cover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates the dresser of FIG. 3 partially covered by the protective cover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates the dresser of FIG. 3 in a tipped over position and partially covered by the protective cover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 illustrates the dresser of FIG. 3 fully covered by the protective cover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 illustrates a protective cover for a flat screen television according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a bottom view of the protective cover of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to FIGS. 1-8, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. Although the present invention is described from in the context of moving a dresser or flat screen television, the present invention can be used to protect any type of moving item such as, but not limited to furniture, desks, appliances, armoires, tables, night stands, and cabinets.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary dresser 100 found in the prior art. Here, the dresser 100 comprises nine (9) drawers 111-119, which slide in and out relative to a frame 120 (as shown by drawer 110). During movement of the dresser 100 from one place to another, the drawers 111-119 tend to freely slide. This sliding of the drawers 111-119 may lead to damage, injury to movers, or damage to or loss of drawer contents. To mitigate such damage/loss, furniture pads may be used as described above, which has noted disadvantages, or the drawers 110 may be removed by movers and moved separately. Although and exemplary dresser 100 is shown, dresser 100 may vary in, among other things, dimensions and number of drawers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a protective cover 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the protective cover 200 is sized to fit a dresser 300 as shown in FIG. 3. Protective cover 200 can vary in size to accommodate variously sized dressers, e.g., dresser 100. Dresser 300 comprises five (5) drawers 311-315 as shown, which may freely slide in and out (not shown) relative to a frame 320. Referring back to FIG. 2, the protective cover 200 comprises a resilient and durable fabric 210. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fabric 210 comprises a stretch fabric such as, but not limited to spandex, vinyl, velvet, denim, cotton, polyester (or a blended combination thereof) that can provide flexibility and restriction of movement of drawers 311-315 when placed over the dresser 300. For example, the fabric 210 of the protective cover 200 is stretched when placed over the dresser 300. As the fabric 210 is stretched, it innately wants to contract back to its original shape. This contraction provides a force to restrict, if not completely eliminate, outward movement of the drawers 311-315. The cover 200 comprises an enclosed top 220 and an open bottom 230. In an embodiment of the invention, the fabric 210 is non-porous and water resistant.

The protective cover 200 comprises a number of pads 211A-N joined to and spaced throughout the fabric 210. The pads 211 provide additional cushioning to help prevent damage to the dresser 300. In an embodiment of the invention, each pad 211 is formed by a pocket on the outer surface of the fabric 210. A soft material (not shown) such as, but not limited to rubber, urethane, polypropylene, vinyl, air bladder, latex, neoprene, sponge, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, volara, cellulose, or a combination thereof is inserted into the pocket, which is sewn shut. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, each pad 211 is shaped as a two inch (2″) diameter hexagon, which is one centimeter (1 cm) in thickness. Any shape pad 211 can be used. The hexagon shape is preferred because of its six sided polygon angles which provide the best conformity to corners of various moving items such as, but not limited to utilities, dressers, night stands, and refrigerators, which are usually four sided.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pads 211A-N are spaced one centimeter (1 cm) apart from one another and are formed throughout the entire outer surface of the fabric 210. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, pads 211A-N are formed on the inner surface of the fabric 210 as well. One of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the pads 211A-N can be configured in various shapes, sizes, thicknesses, and layouts. For example, the pads 211A-N can be shaped as circles, squares, or rectangles. The surface density of the pads 211A-N may also vary. For example, the number of pads 211 at the top 220 (or at areas more prone to damage) can be greater than the number of pads 211 at the bottom 230 (or at areas less prone to damage). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a dresser with the dimensions of three feet (3′) by four feet (4′) can have fifteen hundred (1500) hexagonal pads to completely cover the fabric 210.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the protective cover 200 is manufactured as follows. For each side of the protective cover, hexagonal pockets are sewn on to one side of a spandex material. Foam padding is inserted into the hexagonal pockets, which are sewn shut with elastic threading. A second piece of spandex is sewn to the pocketed side and will become the inside of the protective cover 200. The four sides of finished material are then sewn together to form a square or rectangular shaped protective cover 200 with an opening 230 at the bottom. All pieces sewn together will be less than, e.g., two or more inches (2″+) smaller, than the actual size of a dresser or moving item to create compression. Alternatively, the protective cover 200 is constructed from two pieces of finished material: one piece for the top surface 220 and one piece for all four sides of the protective cover 200. The top surface piece 220 is sewn to one top edge of the piece for all four sides.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates the dresser 300 partially covered by the protective cover 200. For illustrative purposes, the dresser 300 is shown with the protective cover 200 covering drawers 311-313, but not drawers 314 and 315. Here, the cover 200 has been placed over the dresser 300 via opening 230. Because the fabric 210 comprises elastic fabric it easily expands to the width and depth of the dresser 300. The expansion of the fabric 210 innately provides a contraction force inward on the dressers 311-313 (hidden from view). Referring to FIG. 5, which shows the dresser 300 in a tipped position, drawers 311-313 do not slide outward, whereas unprotected drawers 314 and 315 are free to slide. FIG. 6 illustrates the dresser 300 fully covered by the protective cover 200, which restrains movement of all drawers 311-315.

The present invention can vary in shape and sizes. For example, protective cover 200 may be shaped as a square, circle, octagon, triangle, rectangular, pyramid, or parachute. Various sizes and shapes can be implemented to fit various types and shapes of moving items.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrates a protective cover 700 for a flat screen television 730 according to an embodiment of the invention. Similar to protective cover 200, the protective cover 700 comprises a resilient and durable fabric 710 with a number of pads 711A-N joined to and space throughout the fabric 710. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fabric comprises an elastic fabric such as spandex that can provide flexibility when placing the cover 700 over the television. For example, the fabric 710 of the protective cover 200 is stretched when placed over the television 730. Once covering the television 730, the expanded fabric 710 provides an inward contraction force to snuggly hug the television. The pads 711A-N prevent damage to the television 730.

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the protective cover 700. Here, because of the shape of moving item, i.e., flat screen television, the protective cover 200 is shaped as a rectangle with rounded ends 740. The protective cover 700 comprises a top section 750 of fabric 710 joined to a cylindrical section 760 of a rectangular cylinder.

In other embodiments of the invention, the protective cover 200 or 700 can comprise additional materials such as, but not limited to lace, Velcro, drawstrings, zippers, buttons, and holding straps. For example, zippers may provide access to drawers of a dresser when the protective cover is placed over such.

The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A device for protecting a moving item during a move, the device comprising: a protective cover comprising stretch fabric, the protective cover having a top surface and one or more side surfaces, and an opening formed by the one or more side surfaces at a bottom of the protective cover; a plurality of pads disposed on or within the protective cover.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein a size of the opening is less than a size of a top surface of the moving item.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the moving item is a dresser or a flat screen television.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pads are hexagonally shaped.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pads are uniformly spaced apart.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pads comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: rubber, urethane, polypropylene, vinyl, air bladder, latex, neoprene, sponge, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, volara, cellulose, and a combination thereof.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the stretch fabric comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: spandex, vinyl, velvet, denim, cotton, polyester, and a combination thereof. 